


the day came

by sinequanon



Category: Teen Wolf (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe, Implied Mpreg, Multi, Stiles Leaves Beacon Hills, Stiles is Pushed Out of the Pack
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-09-04
Updated: 2018-09-03
Packaged: 2019-07-06 16:21:59
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 7,729
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15889665
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sinequanon/pseuds/sinequanon
Summary: Derek has been pulling away from Stiles for a while now, and Jackson hasn't made things any easier. After an argument, Stiles decides that he'd be happier alone and leaves the pack behind.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> This was written years ago, when I first started experimenting with Teen Wolf. It’s a bit Derek-unfriendly at first, and it has quite a few OCs. I’m pretty sure I edited it shortly after I first wrote it, but I apologize for any mistakes and/or plot holes that you find; I’m posting without looking it over again.

"So let me get this straight," Stiles said calmly, glaring at the werewolves before him. "Since I'm just a lowly human that couldn't possibly defend myself--"

"You don't get it Stiles," Derek huffed, either unknowing or uncaring of the minefield he was entering, "We need to find that troll as soon as possible, and you will only slow us down."

Stiles's heart sank. He should have known this was coming. Ever since Derek had struck up a friendship with that alpha from Portland, he had been pushing Stiles away.  _ Because humans aren't strong enough to be in wolf packs.  _ He wasn't going to go down without a fight, though.

"Hey! I figured out what the monster was in the first place, and I helped make the plan--"

"But that's all you're good for!" Stiles went white with shock, but the alpha kept talking. "Jackson and I have to save you every time there's a problem, because you've tripped or done something stupid--"

"Calm down," Jackson yelled, a bit desperately. He knew the rest of the pack had driven up during the fight and were waiting outside. The fight needed to end, especially if the wanted to catch the troll before he did anymore damage. But he didn't want his boyfriends to fight, either. Derek would be angry enough at himself for his stupidity later, there was no need to let things get even worse. 

"Stiles, stay here. Watch a movie or something. We'll talk about it when we get back, okay?" He pulled Stiles close. "He may be an ass, but he's ours, right?"

"Let's go," Derek barked, stomping out without looking back. Jackson gave Stiles another squeeze and followed.

<> <>

Stiles knew, intellectually, that Derek loved him. It was hard, though, watching him slowly change under this other alpha's influence, especially since neither he nor Jackson seemed to be able to stop it. The thing was, Stiles knew that the alpha wanted to get rid of Stiles and have his sister marry Derek and Jackson instead. The frustrating part was that he wasn't sure he could stop it.

Despite the fact that Stiles knew that Derek and Jackson loved him, Stiles still had that nagging feeling sometimes that he wasn't good enough for them or the pack. And every time that Derek or one of the betas made some offhand teasing comment, it chipped at his defenses a little more.

It had been even worse recently, because he was also tired and irritable and almost constantly hungry, and he just didn't have the energy to brush off anyone's jabs anymore. Even Jackson, who had mellowed so much since high school, had basically told him to 'sit and watch a movie', like he was a three-year-old who needed to be distracted while the adults took care of business.

He couldn't (wouldn't) let them do this to him anymore. He made sure that the house was semi-clean, and dinner was in the fridge. He packed up the things he couldn't live without--his computer, a few books, his mother's quilt--and stuffed them in a bag. Then he picked up his phone.

"Hey, Uncle Julian. It's Stiles. Can I come stay with you for awhile?"

<> <>

"Derek, don't you think I look absolutely divine in my new dress?" Hailey twirled, giving the alpha the full view. Derek ignored the snickering of the pack behind him, and quickly kissed her cheek before pulling away.

He saw the flash of Jackson's eyes before his husband backed out of the living room to avoid Hailey, and he sighed, ignoring Hailey's pouting.

He knew that the pack still wasn't happy with him, but what was he supposed to do? Stiles had left them, not the other way around. They hadn't heard from him in three years, and the Sheriff refused to tell any of them where Stiles had gone except for Scott, who had taken a swipe at Derek the last time he'd asked about Stiles's location.

Hailey was nice, and pretty, and she didn't argue with him about everything. She was a link to the Portland pack, and she could help him carry on the Hale line, if he wanted. She was a good choice for a third.

Unfortunately, the pack, used to Stiles's good food and witty comments, found it difficult adjusting to Hailey. Jackson still avoided being alone with her, even after almost two years together, and Derek still felt vaguely guilty every time he passed the Sheriff on the street.

He brushed it off, though, because Hailey was ultimately a better choice for third than Stiles. He just needed to convince everyone else. And if he didn't, well, he was the alpha, right?

<> <>

“They're so beautiful, Stiles,” Olivia soothed. “We're not going to let anything happen to any of you, all right?”

“Can I hold them?”

“Of course. And then, you're going to get some rest and let the rest of us do the work for a little while. Julian and Carter are going nuts. I never would have taken either of them for the paternal sort.”

All the craziness of the last nine months was worth it as he looked at his daughters. Unfortunately, there was no question in his mind about the identity of the other father: both of them had Derek's dark coloring, and was Cecilia scowling? Already? It would likely be a few months before Stiles could tell if they were wolves, though. That was fine, because he had a feeling that even with the help, raising two daughters was going to be the hardest thing he’d ever done, the supernatural stuff notwithstanding. He couldn't help but worry about Derek, though. If the girls were human, would Derek reject them? Hurt them mentally, if not physically? A year ago, Stiles wouldn't have hesitated in his answer, but now he wasn't so sure.

So, no matter how much Stiles wanted Derek and Jackson to be there with him, he needed to do the best thing for his girls. 

<> <>

"Well, did it work?"

Hailey watched Dr. Deaton expectantly. She just knew that she was pregnant this time. She had managed to get everyone out of the house for the first time in months and had done an excellent job of thoroughly seducing Derek, if she did say so herself. Getting pregnant would take her one step closer to getting rid of that insufferable Jackson, too.

Derek squeezed her hand, and she shot him a grateful smile before turning back to Deaton. 

"I'm sorry," the vet said placidly, face expressionless, "you aren't pregnant." 

Derek barely had time to register that Deaton didn't look particularly sorry before Hailey was sobbing into his shoulder, forcing the alpha to turn away from the druid to comfort his girlfriend. By the time they were home, Derek had forgotten the moment completely.

Peter didn't fail to notice the relief that swept through the room at the announcement that Hailey had failed yet again to get pregnant. It was incredibly telling, and Peter was alarmed at how oblivious his nephew was about the pack's feelings for Hailey. Even Kira, who was disgustingly chipper and polite towards everyone, watched Hailey with a critical eye. Some days, it took all of his self-control to not rip the interloper's throat out. The fact that Derek also seemed unable to recognize that Jackson was pulling away made him want to throttle his nephew as well.

Just as Derek had moved toward Hailey as time went by, Jackson had gravitated toward Scott and the Sheriff as the last true links to Stiles. Derek, unfortunately, didn't seem to notice. Every time Hailey made a disparaging remark about humans, Derek would shrug it off, or nod absently, while the rest of the pack withdrew.

As far as the pack was concerned, no one would replace Stiles; they just needed to remind Derek of that fact.

"You know, Derek," Peter purred, pulling his nephew's attention away from the simpering girl, "if you want to be tied to the Adams pack so badly, why don't you join them?"

He watched the surprise flash across his nephew's face and tuned out the exclamations of the rest of the pack around him. "Since you seem to value their opinions more than ours,” he added.

"And who would lead the pack, you?" Hailey sneered.

"Perhaps. I'm not the one who ran off one our most valuable assets."

Derek's eyes flashed, but Peter merely laughed at him. "He was a liability, Peter. And he chose to leave!"

"If only your mother could hear you say that," Peter snarled. Derek flinched back as if struck, face pale. "Not to mention what your father would have said."

"Who wouldn't choose to leave with what you said to him?" Scott shouted suddenly, startling everyone. "You were awful to him, and it wasn't the first time. He--" the boy swallowed a sob and glared at Hailey, who looked on unbothered, "he never said anything, of course. But I could tell,” he finished.

"You have a divided pack, nephew. No one but you trusts your little strumpet--"

"Hey!"

"And have you considered that the reason that you haven't been able to consummate the bond properly is because you've essentially driven both of your mates away?" Peter glanced at Jackson, who was watching him with wide, tired eyes. "Even if the rest of the pack adored her--"

"Which we don't," Erica added.

"The fact that Jackson avoids being in the same room with her should give you a clue." Derek's eyes darted to Jackson in surprise--his boyfriend was perched as close to the door as he could possibly get while still being in the room.

"Peter's right," Jackson said suddenly, his hand squeezing Lydia's for support, "I've tried, but I can't do this anymore. I'm going to beg the Sheriff to tell me where Stiles is. You can do whatever you want. Goodbye, Derek.”

<> <>

After more begging than Jackson had ever done in his life (and the promise of a lot of steak), the wolf was on his way to Montana with the Sheriff's blessing. He only hoped that when he made it to Stiles's home, the other man wouldn't laugh and turn him away. Or worse, refuse to see him at all. It wasn't until he was halfway through Oregon, though, that Jackson realized that the Sheriff had literally given him no other information besides an address. Who knew how different Stiles was now than he was nine years ago?

Still, Jackson couldn't stay in Beacon Hills anymore, watching Hailey pull Derek further and further from the rest of the pack. As much as he hated to say it, Peter had done them all a favor by pointing out the elephant in the room. At this point, the pack bonds survived mostly on grudging affection rather than loyalty, which could be disastrous if they faced a serious challenge.

The alpha that Jackson had come to love was slowly being replaced by someone that he couldn't possibly spent the rest of his life with. He could only hope that someday Derek would see the light and come back to him. To them.

Sometimes, in his darkest moments, Jackson blamed Stiles's leaving on the changes in Derek, though he knew they had begun long before that last fight. Blaming Stiles was just taking the easy way out. Stiles had seen what was happening and had saved himself from Hailey’s vitriol. He had done what he had to do, just as Jackson was doing now. 

So no, Jackson didn't blame Stiles for the way things had fallen apart, or for leaving; he just wished that Stiles would have let him come, too.

<> <>

A porsche, Jackson learned, was possibly the worst type of car for reaching Stiles's house deep in the Montana woodlands. His car hit every possible bump in the road, and the house was far enough away from civilization that more than once Jackson considered the possibility that Sheriff Stilinski had lied to him about the other man’s location and was essentially getting revenge for his son by sending Jackson on a wild goose chase.

Just when he was too tired, hungry, and about to turn around, he found it--a cabin, nestled in its surroundings.

It was lit up for the Christmas season with what looked like thousands of twinkling lights, and Jackson felt something settle in his bones as he drove up the long driveway.

Stiles was definitely here, he could feel it; Jackson was almost with him again.

Of course, just because Jackson had missed Stiles didn't mean that the reverse was also true. Jackson definitely could have fought harder for Stiles, rather than letting him get away. Jackson half-expected Stiles to fly out the door and throw things at his car as he drove up, but the wolf managed to park his car and make it to the front door without incident. He thought he saw the drapes move out of the corner of his eye, but the motion was too quick to be certain. Taking a breath, he pushed the doorbell, and a loud, obnoxious gong-like sound that was definitely Stiles's style rang through the house.

Jackson heard thundering footsteps just before the door was yanked open, and Jackson found himself staring into the faces of two little girls. At first, he hesitated, thinking that maybe he had found the wrong house after all, but then he  _ looked _ at the girls and nearly reeled back in shock.

It was obvious that the girls were Derek's. If the dark hair wasn't enough, the girl on the right also had the alpha’s eyes and was sporting a glare that would be right at home on Derek's face. The other girl also had Derek's locks, but her eyes were definitely Stiles's, as was the impetuous grin.

The girl on the right was evidently less than impressed with his staring, because she tried to pull her sister behind her. "Cassia, stay back," the other girl said, moving to shield her sister from Jackson’s view.

Jackson squashed a flair of pain at their distrust. "Hi. I promise I won't hurt you. I'm looking for Stiles. Is he your dad?”

“Are you Derek?” Cassia asked dubiously, and the wolf’s heart sank. What exactly had Stiles told them that they knew Derek's name but not what he looked like? Had they even heard of Jackson or the rest of the pack?

“No, I'm Jackson. Has your dad told you about me?” he asked hopefully.

Cassia’s grin widened and it looked so much like Stiles's that Jackson felt his heart stop for a minute. She reached around her sister to grab him and pull him in the house. “Did you come to tell Daddy you love him? You should. He'll be sad if you didn't.”

Jackson opened his mouth, but nothing came out. At least this meant he had a chance with Stiles. Right?

“Carter can turn you inside out if you hurt Daddy,” the other girl added, following her sister and Jackson. “I saw him do it to this guy once, it was gross.”

“You did not,” Cassia argued. She dropped his hand and proceeded to push Jackson until he was sitting in the living room. “Daddy would not let you watch Carter hex somebody.”

“Cassia and Cecilia, what are you doing, bringing a strange man into the house?” A tiny blond woman marched into the room, looking like she was about ten seconds from gutting Jackson.

“But it's okay,” Cassia reasoned, gesturing to him. “The wards would have zapped him if he was a bad guy. And anyway, it's Jackson! So we're going to run and get dad, okay?” She and Cecilia moved to leave, only for Cassia to turn back. “Don't kill him,” she said firmly, pushing Jackson into a seat and leaving the two adults alone.

The woman didn't sit, just stared at him with a dead-eyed look that had him shifting uneasily in his seat.

“You know, the first time I met Stiles, I attacked him because he smelled like wolf? I could have killed him.” She smiled, as if recalling a pleasant memory, although Jackson wasn't sure how almost killing someone was a good thing, let alone someone like Stiles. “And now,” she continued, “he's one of my best friends. We have a strange sort of pack, but it's good. Don't destroy what we have just because you’ve made the wrong choices.” She opened her mouth to say more, only to be interrupted by a familiar voice.

“Jackson?”

<> <>

He was still beautiful, Stiles thought, as he stared at his former lover. A bit softer around the eyes, less arrogant, but still able to take up a room with his presence.  Stiles must have made some noise, because Jackson whipped around like he’d been struck to stare at him. “Jackson?” he asked hesitantly.

“Stiles?” the breath punched out of the wolf, and had he not been sitting, he probably would have fallen down.

Stiles looked radiant. It was obvious that he was still human, but he moved with more animal grace, and Jackson wondered if his new pack was responsible for Stiles's newfound confidence. He was glad to see it, but upset that someone other than him or Derek might have inspired it. Stiles smirked at him, as if he knew what Jackson was thinking, and sat down next to him.

“Why are you here?”

“I couldn't...I couldn't deal with Derek and Hailey anymore,” he said slowly, “and I realized that I'd do anything to get you back.”

“Dad told me you were coming, he admitted, “and I'm glad that you're here.” Stiles gave Jackson a watery smile, “I'll always love you Jackson, but I want you to know that my girls come first.”

Before Stiles could back away, Jackson reached out and hauled Stiles into his chest, throwing his arms around the smaller man and holding on tightly. He kept holding on, even when Stiles started to shake and the fabric of Jackson's shirt grew wet with tears.

Even after Stiles was exhausted, Jackson simply leaned back on the sofa and brought his mate with him. The two of them laid there quietly for a while before the human spoke.

“After I left, I stayed with Julian, an old friend of my mom's for a while. He’s a really nice guy with a normal, boring life, and it was good for me. Even when we found out I was pregnant,” he scoffed, “he acted like it was completely normal. It wasn't, of course, but I appreciated the effort. I met Olivia when she stalked me through the grocery store--she said I stank of wolf. I think she expected a fight, but I started crying as soon as she got within an arm’s length of me, and she was so startled she bundled me up and took me out for coffee. She listened to my sob story and we've been together ever since. I met Izel and Zaniya a year later and brought them home with me.”

There were so many questions Jackson wanted to ask. “You told your girls about me,” he said instead.

“I told them about everyone in the pack. Even Hailey, to a certain extent, because the girls wanted to know why I wasn't with their other dad. Or dads, in this case.”

“Who's Carter?” he asked.

“He's a mage friend of mine. He helped me deliver the girls.”

Jackson scowled. “Are you two dating?”

“Wait, what?” Stiles lifted his head up to look at Jackson. “Are you jealous?”

Jackson looked offended for a few seconds before he sagged. “You had so...I've missed you so much.”

Stiles snuggled a little closer to Jackson and patted his arm consolingly. “Carter is just a friend. He's a loner; he pops in and out whenever he feels like it. Literally.”

“Oh.”

“Yeah, oh.” He got to his feet and pulled his mate after him. “Come on, I'll introduce you to Izel and Zaniya.”

<> <>

Zaniya and Izel, as if turned out, were even bigger children than the twins were. Born a year apart, Zaniya had been forced to raise her little brother when their family was killed by poachers. The siblings, both were-cats, had walked thousands of miles over the course of four years from their home in Belize to the back alley in Utah where Stiles had run across them and offered them a place to stay. A little wary at first, they had been won over by Stiles's kindness and protectiveness, and had accepted him as one of their own in short order. They were only a few years younger than Stiles and Jackson, but they treated Stiles like he was their mother (a fact that the twins thought was hilarious), and began treating Jackson like their father within an hour of meeting him.

All of them, Olivia included, plied Jackson for stories about Stiles when he was younger, and about their romance, to which the wolf happily complied. That night, he snuggled up against his human mate and felt more at home than he had in years.

He didn't even mind it when the twins burst in at 7:00 in the morning screaming for pancakes.


	2. Chapter 2

Jackson spent the next few months reconnecting with Stiles and becoming a part of his new pack family. Olivia seemed to be a strange amalgamation of Lydia, Allison, and Scott; Izel reminded him of Isaac just after the bite, but with Peter's piercing intelligence; and Zaniya, oddly enough, reminded him of Sheriff Stilinski in the way she seemed constantly both enamoured and exasperated with Stiles.

And the girls? Both of them possessed Stiles's boundless curiosity and enthusiasm. Cassia didn't let the fact that she was human slow her down, and threw herself into every situation that she and her sister found themselves in. Cecilia was fiercely protective of Cassia, even to her own detriment, and Cass wanted to know everything there was to know about being a wolf, and have a plan in place for any issue that might arise in case Lia needed her.

From Derek, the girls inherited mostly looks, though Lia’s death glare was definitely a Hale trait. Cass, as far as Jackson could see, wasn't much like Derek at all, though he suspected that the dreamy, far-off expression that appeared on her face every now and then was reminiscent of pre-fire Derek.

He was surprised to learn that the twins knew an impressive amount about both he and Derek, from both Stiles himself, and from Sheriff Stilinski, who called at least twice a week to speak to his son and his granddaughters.

Over the next few months, Jackson found himself slowly becoming part of Stiles and his daughters’ lives to the point where he couldn't imagine ever having lived without them. Izel, Zaniya, Olivia, and even Carter accepted him into their lives with an ease that still surprised and pleased him. Life in rural Montana was much different than life in Beacon Hills, but Jackson fit in better than he could have predicted. His bonds with the Beacon Hills pack didn't waver or break, but they faded into the background against far stronger bonds: the love and affection he his felt for his mate and his children.

Jackson, without even realizing it, had joined a new pack. And he was happier than he had been in a long time.

<> <>

“Daddy Jack, can you get this open, please?”

Jackson hid his grin as a jar was shoved into his face, Cassia’s earnest expression warming his heart.

“Should you be eating this so close to bedtime?” he asked, knowing that Stiles would most definitely not want his daughter to be eating right before bed.

Rather than get offended, however, Cass shrugged. “I didn't really want any right now. I just wanted to see you.”

“You know you don't need to have a reason to talk to me, sweetheart,” he said, setting the jar aside and pulling her towards him.

“Yeah, I know.” A grin. “But Dad says we have to give you things to do with your wolfy strength every once in awhile so you don't start bringing home bunny rabbits or something.”

<> <>

The cats didn't run on the full moon like the wolves did, and Olivia was out of town, so it was only Jackson and Cecilia who were going out tonight. It was the first time that Jackson had run alone with his daughter, and he was surprisingly nervous. What if Lia got lost, or hurt? What if she didn't want to go with just him? What if--

“Dad says that if you frown too much, your face might get stuck that way,” his daughter’s voice said, pulling him back to the present. “And that would be especially bad, because you're too pretty to be frowny.”

Cecilia was watching him, the knowing look on her face all Stiles. Then she grinned. “Don't worry, Daddy Jack. I’ve done this plenty of times. I'll protect you.”

<> <>

“Jackson. Jackson,” Zaniya burst into the room, Izel on her heels. “Please tell my brother that just because he _can_ pounce on a bear, it doesn't make it a good idea.”

“Why would you want to get into a fight with a bear?”

“Oh, I don't,” Izel assured him. “I'd jump down on it from above.”

“And what if it threw you off into a tree and you broke your neck,” his sister argued, “what then?”

“That would be bad?” Izel said sheepishly.

“Well,” Jackson considered, “if you think you can do it, just be careful. And save the meat.”

“Yes!” the cat cried, and hurried out of the room. Once he was gone, Zaniya turned to him. “Just so you know, Stiles already told him it was too dangerous.”

_Damn it._

<> <>

Nine months after his arrival in Montana, Allison called to update him on the state of affairs in Beacon Hills. Hailey still wasn't pregnant, Allison said, and Derek had started talking about moving the pack to Portland, as if being closer to her family would somehow increase her chances of conceiving. None of the others had the slightest interest in moving out of state, according to Allison, and if Derek went through with his cockamamie plan, she suspected the pack was going to lose more than one beta. Or mutiny, if Lydia decided to put some effort in and throw her hat into the ring.

The next day, Isaac called to say that wherever Jackson was and whatever Jackson was doing, he was going to lose Derek if he didn't come home soon.

Six hours after that, Erica called to say that he needed to come back and save them from Hailey.

Later that night, Stiles's pack talked it over and decided to pay a visit to Beacon Hills.

<> <>

The plan was to have Stiles, Jackson, and the girls stay with the Sheriff while the other three stayed at a nearby hotel. Jackson would visit Derek first, to make sure it was safe, and then Stiles would introduce his girls to the pack. Hopefully, Derek would see that he didn't need Hailey for heirs or anything else, and they could get the Beacon Hills pack back on track.

Naturally, everything went wrong.

Jackson refused to come to the loft as long as Hailey was there, so Derek reluctantly asked her to visit her brother for the weekend while the former lovers cleared the air. The meeting was more stilted than Derek expected, and just an hour after the blonde had arrived, the two of them were already sitting on opposite sides of the room.

“I want you to come back,” Derek said for the third time. “Please don't abandon me.” _Like Stiles did,_ was the silent implication.

Jackson shook his head sadly. “You're not the man I fell in love with anymore. You’ve let Hailey twist you into someone that no one in the pack likes, and you're going to lose them if you're not careful.”

“What do you expect me to do?” the alpha asked with a scowl.

“Take their opinions seriously, maybe? Has it ever occurred to you that it's pretty rare for everyone in this pack to agree on something?” Derek nodded. _Of course, the pack couldn't agree on pizza toppings, let alone important issues._  “Well, there seems to be two things that everyone seems to be unanimous on right now: that Hailey drove Stiles away, and that you let her.”

“This is not about Stiles,” Derek yelled, but he flinched in surprise when Jackson growled at him.

“Actually,” he smirked, “it is. I found Stiles, and I've been living with him and the others since I left here. I got lucky enough to fall in love with him all over again, and with the rest of his pack.”

Derek froze from where he was pacing and turned to Jackson in shock, face white. “He found another pack?”

“Yeah, and he's happy. And so am I,” he said pointedly.

“Why did you come back?”

“The pack asked me to, and because Stiles has something he needs to tell you.”

“He's here?” Derek breathed, hardly able to process this new information.

“He's at his dad's house,” Jackson said. “Derek, wait!”

But Derek had already run out, leaving Jackson scrambling to let Stiles know he was about to have company.

<> <>

Had Derek been thinking properly on his run to the Stilinski house, he would've had more forethought than to climb into his former lover’s window. As it was, his wolf was clamoring to see Stiles, and, in its mind, the window was the quickest way to get to what it wanted.

What neither of them anticipated, however, was the high cacophony of screams and a blunt object to the temple as soon as he crawled in. He staggered under the force of it, and his vision wavered as he hit his knees. He heard the bedroom door open, and Stiles's voice sounded through the bedroom.

“What have I told you two about--Derek.”

“That’s Derek?” a girl asked. Or was there an echo? Derek shook his head to clear it, and gingerly got to his feet.

One dark-haired girl glared at him from a few feet away, while another watched him apprehensively, broken lamp in hand. Stiles looked on fondly from the doorway, as if they got into this sort of situation all the time.

“Sorry,” the girl with the lamp said sheepishly. “We don't usually have people crawling into our windows at home. I thought you were a burglar.”

“You're an idiot,” the other one said, but she was looking at Derek instead of her sister.

“What--”

“Girls,” Stiles interrupted, “go downstairs, please. I need to talk to Derek.”

“But, Daddy--”

“You'll get your chance later, I'm sure,” he said, knowing exactly what Lia was thinking. “Downstairs, please.”

The alpha shook his head in disbelief as he watched them go. The distrustful looks on both girls’ faces reminded him so much of Cora when she was upset that he had to hold back a smile.

And then it hit him.

Stiles was a father. He had moved on and built a family, and found a new pack, and for some reason, Stiles's girls were glaring at him just like Cora and--

The alpha’s brain ground to a halt even as the pieces came together for him. His wolf was agitated, but all he could do was stare at Stiles, who shut the door firmly behind him and moved to sit on the bed.

Derek looked dumbstruck, and Stiles fought the urge to roll his eyes. “You...had children,” the alpha fumbled, “that look like me.”

“That's because they're your girls too, you jerk,” Stiles answered sarcastically. “Which is obvious to anyone with eyes.”

“But, you're a guy,” Derek said slowly.

“Thank you for the newsflash, but I'm quite aware.”

“How?” The alpha looked like he might pass out at any moment, but Stiles was too irritated to be amused.

“Sometimes magic sucks, Derek,” Stiles replied, a little bitterly. A beat of silence. “So, how's Hailey?”

“What?” _Stiles had just dropped a bombshell on him, and he was asking about another girl_?

“You know, Hailey, your girlfriend? The one that was teaching you all about werewolf superiority and all that.”

Derek's eyes flashed and he let out a low growl. “You chose to leave!”

Stiles just stared at him.

“What did I have to stay for, Derek? It was obvious that you thought that she was a better mate than me. What did you want me to do. Scream and cry? Beg?”

“I can't believe you kept my daughters from me,” he growled again, and the human barely resisted the urge to punch him.

“Cassia’s human, Derek,” Stiles hissed, shoving the alpha back slightly. “I couldn't take the chance that Hailey or her pack would hurt her.”

Derek opened his mouth to say something else, but Stiles cut him off. “I will always love you, Derek. Jackson, too. You gave me something I never knew I needed. But Cass and Lia come first. I can't take the chance that you'll do something irreversible that we're both going to regret later. All of us deserve better than that.” Stiles's face softened, and he placed a feather-light kiss on Derek’s lips. “You can see yourself out,” he said, nodding at the window.

<> <>

Derek woke to the feeling of being watched. A tall, thin man sat on the end of his bed, staring at him with a considering look. The alpha growled and tried to surge up to attack the intruder only to find his limbs stuck to the bed. The man gave him a smile that was all teeth.

“I could liquify your insides with very little effort, you know,” he said nonchalantly. “You're certainly pretty to look at, but that's not enough to attract Stiles to you. So what is it? What quality is it that makes him love you even now?” He cocked his head in the same way that Lydia did when she was trying to solve a complex problem, and it made Derek's wolf shift irritably.

“Who are you?”

“My name isn't important. I just want you to know that I am very fond of Stiles and his daughters, and I am absolutely willing to do anything to protect them. Can you say the same?”

“Of course,” the alpha snarled. He was tired of being accused of being too dangerous to be around his mate and children.

The mage stared at him. “ _Prove it_.”

Derek didn't fall back to sleep for the rest of the night.

<> <>

The Beacon Hills pack absolutely adored the twins, but seemed to take every possible opportunity to keep Derek from spending any time alone with them. Even Peter was taken with the girls, and the three of them holed up in the older Hale's room one afternoon, only to come out covered in paint and grinning madly. The refrigerator was covered in their artwork soon after. The Hale house itself was also always busy: if Hailey was even close to the house, there was at least one member of Beacon Hills pack and one member of the Montana pack with the twins at all times.

Still, it was almost worth letting the women take the twins shopping for the look on Stiles's face every time they brought home new outfits. The men of the pack spoiled them just as much, spending time with them playing games or trying new things, like learning to make tamales with Scott or knitting scarves with Boyd.

Derek had also noticed an unholy melding of the packs, specifically between Erica and Izel, who he was quite certain were out to get him for some reason. Derek had caught himself backing out of a room more than once when the two of them were together, Peter's snickers echoing through the hallways.

The first hours Derek managed to spend alone with his girls had gone well, after an initial kick to the shins from Cecilia. He filed every piece of information they gave him away as precious--Cecilia hated strawberries, Cassia wanted to save sea turtles; Cassia thought that Stiles knew everything, Cecilia thought their dad was the bravest person ever. They also thought that Derek could make their dad and Jackson happy if he stopped being stupid about it, though they rarely brought that part up.

If Hailey was surprised to see Stiles, Jackson, and their new pack when she returned from Portland, Derek certainly didn't see it, so when she suggested having the other pack over for a nice dinner, the alpha readily agreed. Granted, she still wasn't as good of a cook as Stiles, but she was trying, and that's what mattered. Derek and his wolf were just grateful to have their mates close again.

Dinner was good, and the conversation flowed naturally, though Derek noticed that Hailey didn't participate as much as he had anticipated; rather, she let the conversation flow around her while everyone else mingled. Once or twice, someone made an offhand dig at the woman, only to have Stiles or Olivia guide them into a different topic. During dessert, Hailey kept watching the twins with a strange look on her face, and Derek realized that she must be thinking of the children she would have someday.

Derek was not as surprised as he should have been that he wasn't necessarily thinking of himself as the father of those hypothetical children.

An hour after dinner, when everyone was settled in the living room, Cassia crawled onto Stiles's lap. “Daddy, I don't feel good. My tummy hurts.”

Stiles smiled reassuringly. “Okay, baby, let's get you upstairs.” He shrugged apologetically at the group as Cecilia followed after her father and sister.

“Do you need anything?” the alpha asked, all too ready to run any necessary errands Stiles might need.

“It's fine, Derek. She probably just caught a bug; it's nothing to worry about. Ask Jackson, he was around for flu season.” Jackson turned a little green at the mention of flu season, and Derek laughed. He’d definitely have to ask the other wolf about that later.

It was already way past midnight when Hailey finally went to bed and Derek had the chance to peek in on his family. Opening the twins’ door, he found the two of them curled up together, heads pressed together as if they had fallen asleep talking. Cass looked a bit pale, her heart rate slower than usual, but both girls stirred briefly when the alpha kissed their foreheads, so he took that as a good sign.

Derek couldn't stop himself from also looking into the next room, where Jackson and Stiles were sleeping. He cracked the door carefully, releasing the breath that he was holding when neither man woke as he moved toward the bed. Derek loved both of them individually, of course, but the two of them tangled together…

The alpha’s heart pounded as he thought of crawling into bed with his mates and surrounding himself in their warmth. He didn't dare touch them, though. Not willing to torture himself anymore, he silently left his sleeping mates behind him.

<> <>

Derek, Hailey, and Allison were the only ones downstairs when Jackson thundered into the kitchen in next morning, Hailey in his sights.

“What the hell did you do?” he yelled, reaching for Hailey and no doubt waking the entire house.

“Get off of me!” Hailey tried shoving Jackson away, only to turn to Derek when she couldn't keep the other wolf entirely at bay. “Are you going to let him treat me this way?”

“What's going on?” Allison asked. Derek noticed that Allison seemed to be much more concerned for Jackson than Hailey, and made no effort to rescue the other girl.

Jackson snarled, and it was impressive enough that the kitchen filled quickly after that. “If it was just Cass,” the blonde explained, “I’d say she was coming down with something, but this morning, I couldn't get Stiles up, either.”

“Maybe the came down with the same thing,” Scott said reasonably, putting a reassuring hand on Jackson's arm.

“Except it's not the flu if the both of them literally look like they're on the verge of death--”

Hailey snorted, and everyone turned to her in disbelief. “Surely you exaggerate--”

“THEY WON’T WAKE UP!” Jackson screamed. “Cass is always the first up, begging for pancakes or waffles or whatever.”

“It's true,” Olivia reaffirmed from the back of the group.

“This morning, the twins didn't come, and Cass is worse and Lia won't leave her sister, and Stiles didn't wake up, even with Lia whimpering next door.”

Derek felt the color drain from his face. “What?”

“You did this!” Jackson yelled, lunging for Hailey again.

“No one else got sick,” she pointed out.

“Everyone else is a were,” Derek said shortly.

Hailey smiled and spread her hands as if Derek had proven her point, but instead of support, the wolf found both packs looking at her in disdain.

Derek wasn't paying attention, though; he was already halfway upstairs when he called back, “Somebody call Deaton; tell him it's an emergency.” His human family was sick, and he needed to fix it _right now_.

Derek went to the twins’ room first, only to stop short at the sight of Lia huddled against her sister, hands clasped so she could take her sister's pain. Cass was so, so pale; pale enough that if Derek couldn't hear her erratic heartbeat, he’d think she was dead. Derek's heart dropped. Lia watched him with heartbreak in her eyes as he wedged himself on the bed next to them. “Save them, Papa, please,” she whispered.

“I swear, I'm going to find out what's wrong and them I'm going to fix it, okay? Both Cassia and your dad are going to be fine, I promise.” He kissed both girls’ foreheads, ignoring how cool and clammy his human daughter’s felt. He turned slightly toward the door where others were waiting, and glanced back to Cecilia. “Erica and Zaniya are going to stay here while I go check on your dad, okay?”

Derek expected Stiles to look better than his daughter, but somehow he looked worse. Jackson had come back upstairs in the time that Derek had been with the twins and was working on taking their mate’s pain. Derek sat on the other side of the bed, taking Stiles's other hand and brushing back his sweat-slicked hair. “You really think she did this?” he asked solemnly.

“She convinced you to leave him behind in the first place, didn't she?”

“He was going to get hurt,” the alpha defended. _Of course, now he was hurt anyway_.

“You belittled him, Derek.” Jackson snorted. “We both acted like we were both somehow better than him because he was human.” His voice dropped, “That's how we lost him and the girls. We lost them for nine years, Derek. Do you love Cass any less because she's human?”

“Of course not,” he scoffed. “They're both perfect.” And they were. Both of his girls were smart and kind and just like their Daddy in so many ways. Sometimes, the alpha couldn't believe his luck.

“Exactly.”

<> <>

Deaton, unflappable as always, thoroughly examined the two humans amid the rising ire of both packs before taking Derek and Jackson aside to deliver the news.

“I'm afraid that they've been poisoned,” the druid said gently. “But the good news is that the antidote is readily available and they should be better in a few days.” He patted both men consolingly when they staggered with relief. “I'll be back soon with the antidote, and I look forward to officially meeting Stiles's daughters.”

Over the next three days, Derek spent all of his time with his mates and his daughters. He ate when Allison or Scott or Zaniya brought him food, and slept only when Boyd, Isaac, or Olivia bullied him into it. Peter finally pestered both of them into showering, and Deaton visited every day.

He never once thought of Hailey.

On the fourth day, Derek woke up to Cecilia’s grinning face, asking if she and Cassia could eat their pancakes in bed, just this once.

When Stiles woke up a few hours later, Derek couldn't stop himself from pulling the human closer and kissing him. “I'm so sorry,” he breathed against the younger man's skin.

Stiles gave him a tired smile and didn't push him away.

<> <>

Derek wasn't sure why he was surprised that Hailey hadn't visited either sick human, but he startled when he walked into the kitchen the morning after his family had woken up to find the woman calmly drinking her coffee as if Derek hadn't spent the last four days worried sick.

Still, “Why did you poison Stiles and Cassia?”

Hailey rolled her eyes, and Derek bristled. “Don't be overdramatic. No one else was harmed.” She reached for his hand, only to frown when Derek pulled away. “If they weren't weak, they wouldn't have gotten sick,” she reminded him.

“They wouldn't have gotten sick at all if you hadn't poisoned them!” His hand slapped against the kitchen island, making the woman jump.

“I'm just helping you strengthen your pack, Derek. I thought that's what you wanted.”

“Evidently, I'm an idiot,” he said remembering his first meeting with the girls. “You should leave before anyone else wakes up. I'm pretty sure Lydia's set up some sort of betting pool about who's going to kill you first.”

<> <>

The man appeared out of nowhere in the middle of their planning against the pack in Beacon Hills. He didn't appear to be the least bit concerned about walking into a room full of growling werewolves, finding an open spot in the room and sitting down with a smirk.

“You know,” he said, “I thought Derek was going to be the troublesome piece of this puzzle. I should know by now not to underestimate the ingenuity of stupid people.”

“Who are you?”

The man gave a feral grin. “Oh, that's really not the thing you should be worried about.”

<> <>

The next time Carter popped into Beacon Hills, the pack was in the middle of discussing possible strategies for dealing with the irate Portland pack.

“Wouldn't you know it? I just had a lovely visit to Portland,” the mage said pleasantly. “I don't think it's right for you, though. Too much violence.”

**Author's Note:**

> The plan is to post a few more TW things tomorrow, then I’ll spend a week or so responding to comments before I disappear again.
> 
> Thanks for reading!


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